BC Centre for Disease Control issues public alert over threat of measles

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has issued a measles alert due to a case onboard China Southern Airlines that made its way from New Delhi and Guangzhou to Vancouver.

The alert, issued on Wednesday, July 4, pertains to one case of measles in an infected individual who travelled from India to Vancouver.

The individual travelled on China Southern Flight CZ 3028 from New Delhi to Guangzhou on Saturday, June 23, 2018, and Flight CZ 377 from Guangzhou to Vancouver on the same day.

According to a statement, travellers on one or both of these flights, as well as those who travelled through YVR on Saturday, may have been exposed.

“Potentially exposed passengers or flight crew may have been travelling to other destinations including within Canada.”

The BCCDC has issued a warning through the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence to inform Canadian and Pacific Northwest public health officials.

Measles is a highly infectious disease transmitted by airborne spread. Travellers on one or both of these flights are asked to check their immunization status. While it is expected that the majority of travellers will be immune to measles, some individuals may be susceptible, including infants less than one-year-old or people who have never been immunized against measles.

The news release explains that “the incubation period (time to develop symptoms after being exposed) for measles ranges from seven to 21 days. If a traveller has been infected with measles from this event, symptoms would develop by about July 15.”

Anyone who becomes infected and suspects they may have measles is asked to call their doctor immediately.

More information can be found on the BCCDC website.

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